Columbia, South, Carolina, played host to the SmackDown after Backlash, and the show featured a video package of highlights from last week’s PLE. However, not much of what happened at Backlash figured into tonight’s action, where the biggest story once again involved Cody Rhodes and GUNTHER.
GUNTHER overplays his hand
After a couple of matches at the top of the show, Cody makes his way to the ring to cut his typical babyface promo. (That being said, he does this well.) He wants GUNTHER to sign the contract
to face him at Clash in Italy for the Undisputed WWE Championship, which Paul Heyman pulled some strings to make happen. Soon enough, GUNTHER comes out, insults the American audience in evil foreign heel mode, and The American Nightmare gets the crowd into it with a fiery response.
Rhodes apparently didn’t motivate the Austrian challenger enough, because GUNTHER wants a more emphatic “please” from the champ. Suddenly, Royce Keys emerges from the back to try to sign the contract for the chance to take on Cody. This results in some fun wrestling over an ink pen between Royce and GUNTHER before SmackDown GM Nick Aldis comes from backstage and tells GUNTHER: “You overplayed your hand.”
In fact, Aldis repeats several times that he overplayed his hand in front of the audience and then again a little bit later during a backstage segment. So, just know: GUNTHER overplayed his hand. WWE really wants to emphasize that.
All this overplaying of the hand sets up the night’s main event between GUNTHER and Keys with the winner getting to challenge Rhodes for his championship on May 31 in Turin, Italy.
The unexpected matchup between GUNTER and Royce has the true feel of a main event, which isn’t always the case for WWE’s weekly shows. As to be expected, the match itself is very physical with a lot of chops and Keys leaving with a bloody lip. Solo Sikoa attempts to aid Keys, only for the strong man to reject his help, though the diversion allows GUNTER to regain the momentum and pin Royce after a powerbomb. GUNTHER’s celebration ends quickly when Cody attacks from behind to end the show.
In the end, we’re getting Rhodes versus GUNTHER at Clash in Italy, which we were all expecting to see anyway. As much fun as it would have been to see Cody against Royce, WWE is struggling to find a place for GUNTHER right now, so the result here builds to the big PLE face-off. Plus, Keys is now primed for a feud against Sikoa and The MFTS.
This is Trick’s House
Trick Williams is not only a native of Columbia, but he was a football star at the city’s University of South Carolina. As such, tonight’s SmackDown was rightly billed as a homecoming for the star, and he kicks off the show.
Crowds everywhere love singing along to Williams’ theme, but Columbia’s singalong is especially boisterous as Trick makes his way to the ring with Lil Yachty and someone in a bird suit (Cocky, the mascot of the University of South Carolina’s Gamecocks team, we’re told). At least it isn’t a Gingerbread Man suit.
Trick gives shoutouts to local spots and his family, who are seated ringside. But who would dare come out to get immediate heat? Well…it’s The Miz. WWE creative doesn’t seem to be trying all that hard with this one. But at least we get Kit Wilson doing what I think is a rap (?), which leads to Lil Yachty dropping some bars and a reference to Miz’s “tiny balls” and Danhausen’s curse.
Miz ends up getting laid out by Trick, but for some reason, a match still follows. The match itself is decent and more competitive than I would have guessed. Trick picks up a decisive win, as he should have. (I’m so happy we’re past the Vince McMahon routine of stars losing in their hometowns.) The only other thing I would add here is that Lil Yachty feels like more of a natural fit in WWE than Pat McAfee.
Paige and Brie still seem like an odd pairing
Why is the high school cheerleader hanging out with the cool goth kid? Yes, I know Paige is only teaming with Brie Bella because Nikki is injured, but that doesn’t make it seem any less weird, even if they are the women’s tag champs.
Their opponents tonight are the soon-to-be-splitting Giulia and Kiana James. Count me as a Kiana Believer. Like many viewers, I felt she proved herself when given a platform in this year’s Royal Rumble, reinforced that at Elimination Chamber, and continues to build on her work each outing. Her character needs some work, sure, but the in-ring ability is there. Meanwhile, Giulia seems to be slowly finding her way in WWE, and The Beautiful Madness has been more aggressive as of late, which is how she needs to work. Plus, her selling tonight really made Paige shine.
That being said, the crowd wasn’t much into this match. Perhaps, they were winded from whooping that Trick. Maybe they also agree with me that Brie needs to ditch the Yes Kicks if she can’t get more impact and speed to them.
The match ended with Paige hitting a cradle DDT on Kiana for the 1-2-3. I’m not sure we need to see Brie and Paige defend their titles so often, but it looks like we’ll see them face off against The Judgment Day’s Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez on Monday’s Raw and possibly against the Irresistible Forces at Saturday Night’s Main Event. As for the friction between Giulia and Kiana, I’m looking forward to their oncoming feud.
We know another match for SNME
I don’t know we need a Jade Cargill promo to set up a tag team match between her Baddies (Michin and B-Fab) and the team of Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, but we get one anyway. The ensuing match serves a reminder that Michin is an under-appreciated worker, as well as a reminder that Flair is at her best when she’s cocky and smack talking. Even with her verbal jabs at Jade (sitting ringside), I imagine her harshest words will occur off-camera with B-Fab over having her trunks pulled down mid-match.
In the end, Jade interferes for a DQ, and Bliss later talks to Flair about seeking out Rhea Ripley for help against the three heels.
While this whole storyline feels like WWE Creative is treading water until they find something better to do with all these ladies, we at least learn by the end of the show that Rhea will indeed team with Flair and Bliss against Jade and her Baddies at the next Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Quick hits
- Chelsea Green is back to chat with Tiffany Stratton! Anyone who doesn’t see her as one of the brightest stars in the company should really be fired, doot doot doot.
- I’m always for seeing more of Shinsuke Nakamura on my TV screen, but I don’t need to see him being defenselessly taken out by Talla Tonga. The two face off next week, and hopefully this leads to a larger storyline that’s deserving of Nakamura’s talents, but WWE doesn’t exactly have a good track record of doing right by him.
- Carmelo Hayes and Ricky Saints prove they have decent chemistry in a pretty fun match. Saints does good heel work with crowd, Hayes looks good in his return, even if he cheats with feet on the ropes to win.
- Danhausen is going to keep up with the cloning machine, and now we have another Mysterhausen to keep us guessing.
- A match between Damian Priest and Tama Tonga is flat for the most part. The crowd seems to feel the same, and I almost swear I can hear audible snoring coming through the tv feed. The audience momentarily comes to life during a botch that sees Priest lose his footing on the top turnbuckle. Naturally, Solo Sikoa and Talla put the boots to Priest after the Puerto Rican star picks up the win.
- Sami Zayn talking to a catatonic Johny Gargano backstage makes me think Zayn needs some time off. Also, I’m surprised WWE didn’t try to stick him in the bird costume earlier in the show.
Overall, I feel tonight’s SmackDown was pretty decent with some solid matches and reasonable build for storylines.
Grade: B
Give us your grade in the comments, Cagesiders, and let us know what you think did or didn’t work on tonight’s show.
